Something Extraordinary
by stars mystify
Summary: Alice does not want her mother's life. Not at all. She wants something extraordinary, and after falling down a rabbit hole and into a mysterious man's arms, her wish might come true. Rated M for possible future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**I am a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland! I've read the book probably a dozen times and of course own the Disney version. I've also seen the one with Martin Short as the Mad Hatter, which I thought was just amazing. And of course I am now looking very forward to the release of Tim Burton's take on the story! **

**Anyway, I just started writing this for fun, and would like to know what people think. Of course it's just the very beginning, and is quite basic. Don't be too harsh, it's my first fanfic of this story, so yeah. Anywhooo here it is! :]**

The day was young, and already I was dreading the rest of it. I sighed, watching as my reflection mimicked my every facial movement. My long blonde hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, secured by a black ribbon. My bangs were always an issue, always wanting to go in the opposite direction in which I wanted. Fed up, I grabbed the brush and began angrily running it through the small sections of hair.  
"Alice!" my mother's voice rang in my ears and I groaned, placing the brush onto the vanity. She had that familiar look of disappointment splattered on her face and she tapped her toe impatiently in the doorway.  
"I'm almost finished," I said dryly. This, apparently, was not the answer she had been waiting for. She huffed and scurried over to me, her long dress dragging on the wood floor. I groaned as she positioned herself behind the stool I was sitting on.  
"Sit up straight," she commanded, pulling the ribbon loose from my hair. I gasped in shock, immediately pulling away and pivoting to see her.  
"What are you doing?" I exclaimed, maybe a bit too shrill. Her eyebrows furrowed, whenever she got angry like this she looked ten years older than she really was. Her hair was in fact gray, but it was glossy and youthful still. She wore light makeup that complimented her attractive features, and it seemed like the wrinkles only added to the appeal of her. But when she got mad, boy did that change. The wrinkles deepened, and her whole appearance darkened.  
"I'm fixing your hair! Do you want to go out in front of all these people looking as you do?" she shouted back. Abruptly, I stood, the stool slamming into her legs, erasing the anger from her face and replacing it with disbelief. I reached my hand out, snatched the ribbon from her hand and stood tall before her.  
"I refuse," I said coldly. Although we stood at the same height, a mere 5'4", I suddenly felt tall, as if I was towering over her. She, on the other hand, did not see me in this way. I'm sure she saw herself as ten feet tall, ready to squash me like an ant.  
"Excuse me young lady?" she hissed. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms, the ribbon dangling in my right hand.  
"We do this every year. You invite all of your snotty friends over for this huge waste of time and money, and force me to mingle with them!" this was pent up frustration from years passed, I was sure of it. Never in my life had I stood up to her this way. We had of course had little tiffs here and there, but I was near the brink of being livid, and she was too.  
"Those "snotty friends" of which you speak happen to be very dear to me!" she took a step closer, her voice lowering to what I swear could be interpreted as a growl of some sort.

Both of us stood there, seething, for completely different reasons. Me, fighting for my right to opt out of her little tea party, and her, trying desperately to force me into a life that could be a mirror image of hers. Every year she tried to find me a young man, someone who could take care of me throughout my entire life, me not even having to lift a finger. I would be forever bathed in jewels and riches... doomed to hold parties such as these until my death. And he, whoever he would be... whoever she had in mind, would be standing beside me, like a statue, a statue with an immense fortune. A fortune with a price tag. A price tag I was not interested in. No, I wasn't one of those silly girls who was determined to wait around for Mr. Right, but I also knew I did not want her life. Never in a million years.  
"Alice! Caroline! What in the world is going on?" my father burst into the room, dressed in his best suit, his balding spot covered by a comb over that could make anyone cringe. He was quite large, and had apparently tackled the stairs a bit too quickly as he slammed his hand against the doorframe for support as he huffed and puffed.  
"Daniel! Alice is refusing to come down," my mother shrieked, moving from me to his side. I exhaled sharply sitting back down on the stool, gazing at my reflection as their voices echoed in my ears.  
"Well, tell her to move quickly, the guests are arriving as we speak!" he bellowed.  
"She won't listen! She's impossible to deal with!" she shouted back. I glanced down at the ribbon in my hands, pondering this morning. Wondering why I remained here, why nothing ever changed.

When I had woken up I had been well aware of the fact that this event was happening. I had been aware of it since last year when that one ended. Mother had already begun planning out a new outfit for me, something to "surely catch the eye of just the right man." And I had said nothing. Not a single word, not even the slightest sign of a struggle. That party had followed my 16th birthday, and according to mother, time was of the essence. I had to be married within the next year if I ever had a chance of finding someone just like father. I cringed. Not that my father was bad tempered, mean spirited, egotistical or ruthless... at least not around us. Only when attending to business. Business that raked in the money year after year. No, around us, he was passive, quiet, always mumbling something incoherent if my mother tried to get him to agree to something. That was what I didn't want. I wanted something different, something extraordinary. Not only in a man, but in life in general.

Yet, I had woken up this morning, allowing the maids to lay out a new blue dress my mother had picked out. I allowed them to trim my nails, pluck my eyebrows, style my hair and apply makeup. Makeup my mother insisted would "do the trick." I had sat passively, just as my father would, and allowed my life to be controlled. I gazed at my reflection, at my crystal blue eyes, lined with a thin stroke of gray on both top and bottom lids. My skin appeared to be flawless, touched up with probably a pound of goop and powder. My eyebrows arched perfectly, and my hair flowed freely around my face, down to my chest and behind my back. I did look nice, I had to admit. And the blue dress, it was marvelous, cut lower on the chest, and its length just below the knee. It hugged my curves and made me feel like a woman. But a woman who was being shown off as a trophy to be won... to the highest bidder.

"I have to go attend to the guests, just please... get her down here fast!" my father's voice shook me and I gasped, coming back to the present. My mother hurried to my side and grabbed the brush from the vanity.  
"Carla had your hair just perfect, and you had to ruin it!" she sounded like she was talking more so to herself than me, so I decided to ignore what she said. She brushed my hair carefully and meticulously, yet at a very fast pace. I stared at a small splinter in the vanity, my mind insisting on wandering to places other than here. Her voice persisted, and it rang in my ears, nearly driving me mad. I had to leave, somehow. I couldn't go through with another one of these crazy parties!  
"Mom," I spoke softly as she placed the brush back in its place and urged me to get up.  
"What?" she snapped. I swallowed hard and stood, following her out of the room.  
"I'm sorry. I was out of line, I've just been so nervous about today," I tried to sound genuine, tried to look innocent and sweet. She sighed, placing her hands on her hips and tilting her head slightly to the side.  
"Alice, you know I want what is best for you," her voice had softened, and she looked like herself again. I nodded solemnly and then clasped my hands behind my back.  
"Could I just have a minute? Before I go out in front of all those people?" I asked carefully. She raised an eyebrow at me, and I prayed she wasn't picking up on anything.  
"I suppose. One minute. And if you're any longer I'm sending Carla in for you," she said firmly. I nodded once and watched as she descended down the spiral staircase.

Now was my chance. I turned and dashed back into my room, closing the door behind me. I grabbed my black dress shoes and placed them on my feet quickly. Although I hated stockings, it made these shoes go on much easier. As I walked toward the window, I began to wonder. Where did I plan on going exactly? How far would I get? I looked down at the ribbon still clutched tightly in my hand. I exhaled and tied it around my left wrist and then opened the window. The warm spring breeze blew into my room, causing my hair to flow around my face. My heart beat immediately picked up as I slung my leg over the side of the windowsill. This was crazy, it was true, I was really going mad. Thankfully there was a lining of lattice attached to the house, something my father was quite proud of. Just last week he had the gardener, Michael, put it up to accent the house. This week he was supposed to be adding red roses, but thankfully they weren't here yet.

Once I got both legs out of the window, I held onto the edge of it and lowered my self down. One of my feet stuck through the lattice, giving me some support. I slowly lowered a little more, a little more, and a little more. Until I was now very carefully climbing down the lattice. The house was big, but it wasn't a fifty story building. My room was on the second floor, and the drop wasn't anything life threatening. Of course that is, if I didn't land on my head. I pushed these thoughts from my mind as I continued my decent.

Just as I got close to the first story window, I realized there was a possibility that someone was in the room I was going to be climbing by. My room was above the dining room, so no one would be in there yet except maybe one of the maids. I felt my palms begin to get moist and I tried to regain my grip, but lost it. My heart thrashed and I had to suppress a shriek as I fell backwards off of the lattice toward the ground.

Thank God for bushes. Or thank Michael. I grunted as I fell onto a large bush, feeling twigs poke into my back and legs and arms. But I didn't mind, I much preferred that to being dead or paralyzed. Now I was officially out of the house, so, now the question was, which direction to run in. I disentangled myself from the bush and stood, brushing some dirt from my dress and then glanced to my right. That way I would run into someone for sure, and same with the left. I looked straight ahead of me and decided it was my best bet at this point. And that's when I heard it.

"Alice?" my eyes bulged and something inside of me kicked into high gear as I dashed forward, nearly running into a tree. I tried to block out any sound around me as I barreled forward, trying to get away, as far away as humanly possible. Which was difficult for me since I was not in the best physical condition to be sprinting like this. Especially in dress shoes and a dress.

My heart was beating rapidly and I was beginning to feel out of breath as I continued on. About two solid minutes had to have gone by at this point, so I was sure I was out of sight of the house and whoever had called my name. So, I slowed down to a jog and glanced over my shoulder. I couldn't even see the house anymore, just scattered trees, long grass and dandelions. This was quite a relief, and I decided to slow it down to a walk now. I smiled to myself, feeling quite accomplished that I had escaped the party and my almost captor. This was a good start, and for the moment, I didn't care where I was headed or where I would be by tonight. For now I was just walking freely, on my own time. I stared up at the clear blue sky listening to the birds chirp happily as I walked along. Walked along until something out of the corner of my caught my attention. It was what appeared to be a rabbit hole. Me being the curious person I was, decided to investigate. Plus, it's not as if I had anything better to do at the moment.

As I walked closer to it though, I saw a flash of white. I began to feel my heart beat increase again as I looked all around me. Nothing. I shrugged, telling myself to calm down, and then approached the rabbit hole. But there is was again! The flash of white! This time I was sure I had seen something. I stood completely still, thinking if it was an animal it may come closer if I didn't move. It got very quiet as I stood completely still, even trying not to breathe or swallow. Because of the silence, I heard something, something that made me question my ears. Question my sanity.  
"Did I leave the oven on?" I heard these words, not necessarily crystal clear, but definitely those words. And then I saw the white, this time not a flash of it, but something fluffy, and about the height of my knee. I squinted my eyes as I saw a white rabbit hop toward me in a frantic fashion.  
"Oh dear!" it exclaimed and that's when I felt the urge to run in the opposite direction.

Either out of pure fear or utter confusion, my feet refused to move. I stared at the rabbit with my mouth hanging open like a fish. He had a purple velvet vest on with a small pocket on the right breast with a gold pocket watch inside of it. He looked like a normal rabbit, except slightly larger and was wearing an item of clothing. And of course there was the fact that he was speaking.  
"Excuse me," his voice was neither high nor low, and he had a light british accent. I watched him as he hopped closer, gave me one last glance and then disappeared into the hole. I stood there, completely awe struck, and in total disbelief. That just happened. I was sure of it. It wasn't a hallucination, it felt too real, too alive! That's when my feet decided to work again. I approached the rabbit hole, and got down before it on my hands and knees, peering inside. It was big enough for me to crawl inside, and I felt a strong urge to do just that. I took a deep breath, got lower to the ground and begin to move inside.

It smelled like earth, and the dirt was getting under my finger nails and my hair was dragging on the ground. But I persisted on, slowly moving forward until I realized my entire body was inside the hole. When I looked up to see what was ahead, all I saw was black. Now that my behind was in the hole, it was blocking the rays of sun that had been streaming in. I grunted as I tried to reach forward to see if the hole continued, but I was stuck. I tried to shimmy either forward or backwards, but to no avail. Now I was frustrated, very frustrated. This was exactly what I'd rather be doing than being stuck at the party. I groaned as I tried to get onto my stomach, but still, with no luck. Should I scream for help? Oh, that would be embarrassing. "17 year old pulled out of rabbit hole." I could see it now.

Yet as the minutes began to tick by, and I remained stuck, I was beginning to rather the embarrassment of being found opposed to dying. So, I sucked in a big gulp of air, filled my lungs and just as I got ready to scream, a bright light nearly blinded me. I squeezed my eyes shut and ducked my head down. Slowly, I opened one eye to see where the light was coming from, and realized it wasn't as bright anymore. I opened both eyes and saw that it was right in front of me. I gasped, realizing there was another hole only a foot away, but it was in the ground, like a tunnel leading down into the earth. And then, all of a sudden, I could move my arms. I stretched them out in front of me and pulled myself right up to the hole so I could look down inside of it. I couldn't tell what was inside, or how deep it was since the light was shining up through it nearly blinding me when looking directly at it.

My heart skipped a beat as my hand began to slip against the dirt into the hole. Me having terrible reflexes, was not fast enough to regain my balance, and I toppled forward into the hole. But I didn't hit the ground after falling, I kept falling. Fear began to bubble inside of me as I anticipated what would happen when I hit ground after such a high fall. Automatically I began to scream, screech and thrash my arms about, trying to find something to grab onto.  
"Help!!" the word burst from my lips and I felt tears begin to burn in my eyes as my heart got close to exploding inside my chest. That's when bright neon colors began to swirl around me, illuminating the space in which I was falling. I frantically looked around, seeing just dirt around me as I plummeted down through the earth.

At this point I knew I had been falling for a minute. I had to be approaching the ground now, any moment I'd be splattered on the cold hard ground. I was still screaming too, even though I knew there was no way anyone was going to hear me and somehow pull me out of the hole or place a soft surface to break my fall. But just as these thoughts flashed through my head I felt like the falling came to a slow. My hair was no longer being blown around my face and in my mouth, I could actually turn my head from side to side to take in my surroundings. When I looked to my right I saw the dirt wall, but it suddenly turned into a brick wall. I glanced to my left and saw that it had also turned to brick. Was I falling down a chimney? Was it true that when tunneling through the center of the earth you ended up in China? Maybe I was going to end up in the living room of a Chinese family.

These thoughts were interrupted as I suddenly landed in the arms of someone. I felt extremely disoriented and was on the verge of passing out. The arms were strong, and seemed to hold me up with ease. By the feel of the arms and the chest, which I was pressing against, I could tell it was a man. I tried to say something, demand to know where I was, and who had their hands on me. But all that came out were incoherent mumbles. Apparently the fall had jumbled up my thoughts and words.  
"Did you say something?" the man had a voice. And the voice was soothing and manly, but at the same time not bellowing or too deep. And he had a very light accent, but of what, I couldn't tell. I tried to respond to this, but again, nothing, and I felt myself beginning to slip out of consciousness.  
"Guess not," the man chuckled and I realized we were moving. But I couldn't see anything, the glowing light had gone, as well as the flashing neon lights. Everything was dark. I mumbled again, out of frustration and impatience. Why hadn't this man introduced himself? Why didn't he seem worried about my well being, seeing as I had just fallen from the sky! Or... down a chimney... either way, he seemed like he found the whole ordeal quite ordinary.

We continued walking, or well, he continued walking, for a couple of minutes in silence. There was still no light, and I wondered how he hadn't walked into anything or anyone yet.  
"Here we are!" he spoke suddenly, and then a bright light shone in my eyes. I blinked a few dozen times, trying to let my pupils adjust to the sudden change. And then I saw rolling hills, grass greener than any shade of green I had seen in my entire life. Blue skies that were so blue they almost glowed, and wisps of pure white clouds with a glowing sun. I gasped at the beauty, at the majesty of it all, it was something straight out of a fairy tale.  
"Welcome to Wonderland," the man said, and I could hear a smile in his voice. I turned my head to see who the man was, but very abruptly everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's another installment of the story! Hope you guys like it. :)**

Spinning. I was spinning around in circles so fast I felt my stomach begin to churn. I wrapped my arms around my torso and tried to practice calm breathing to keep from projectile vomiting all over the place. Suddenly the spinning stopped, and I was floating in the air. I released my grip on myself and glanced around, realizing I was surrounded by fluffy white clouds.

I must be dreaming, I thought. Good, this was one of those dreams where you knew you were dreaming. I had them rarely, but tried to take full advantage of them when possible. I reached my arms out in front of me and decided I wanted to fly around for a bit. But I didn't move, and this was very frustrating. I persisted though, stretching my arms further out with all my might. And then I realized my arms literally were stretching, they were getting longer. I gasped in disgust as they began to get tangled with one another and I began to lose control.

Now I was falling. This sensation felt extremely familiar, in a bad way. My arms were still tangled as I plummeted toward the ground which now was opening up as I approached. Why wasn't this working? Why was I beginning to feel deathly afraid of the impact I would make with the ground if this was only a dream? That's when the screaming ensued. This too felt oddly familiar.  
"Hey wake up!" a loud voice echoed in the empty space. I looked around trying to find it as I rapidly approached the ground.  
"Sleepy head, wake up!" then I started to shake as I fell. I began shaking so violently my vision blurred and everything began to feel strange. I grunted, trying to yell back at the voice, but then my vision returned, and I was no longer falling toward my doom. No, now I was lying on something very soft and warm. I was staring up at a ceiling, which was painted purple. I felt a familiar feeling of disorientation and confusion wash over me as I sat up.

"Good morning!" someone's face popped up in front of mine at an extremely close proximity. I shrieked involuntarily and pushed myself away, slamming against the headboard. I decided if I squeezed my eyes shut I would wake up for real. This has now turned into one of those dreams within a dream.  
"Sorry, didn't mean to frighten you," the voice sounded familiar, and I slowly opened one of my eyes. It was a man, and he was sitting indian style at the end of the bed. I opened the other eye now to get a better look at him. He was dressed in a dark brown leather jacket, a silk light brown button up shirt (which was not buttoned all the way, revealing a small portion of hist chest as well as his neck) with pink and purple designs and patterns strewn on it, a pair of black straight leg pants, and what appeared to almost be clown shoes, although not as large, and they too were brown.

"Um... hello?" he tilted his head to the side and waved at me. He was fairly attractive, if you liked the whole rugged and kind of goofy look. Which I did. His hair was brown and disheveled, sort of poking out in random directions beneath a small purple top hat. It also appeared as though he had missed a day or two of shaving, leaving him with some scruff, but not nearly enough to be considered a beard. At the end of my physical analysis of him, I concluded he was in fact attractive, and probably a bit eccentric.  
"Listen, I know I'm quite the looker, but an introduction would be very nice," he spoke again, and I now recognized the voice. It was the man who had caught me after I fell down the rabbit hole, or the chimney.  
"Oh! I'm so sorry! I'm Alice... and you are?" I tried to take in my surroundings as I spoke, tried to figure out where I was. The room was quite small, but the bed was very large, about the same size as my own. The blankets were purple velvet and the sheets were white silk. There were probably a dozen pillows behind me, and a couple scattered on the wood floor. The walls were a lighter purple than the ceiling, and there were three windows on one of the walls.  
"Well, hello there Alice! I am the Mad Hatter!" he said proudly standing on the bed and then bouncing off. I watched him carefully and then slowly stood as well. I was beginning to finally realize where I was, and it wasn't home. From what I gathered, it was this... Mad Hatter's bedroom.  
"_Mad _Hatter?" I repeated, making sure to keep a distance between us. He nodded happily, but maybe because I was not happy he stopped and his eyebrows furrowed.  
"Well... you can just call me Hatter," he said in a thoughtful tone. I nodded uncertainly and then caught sight of my shoes by a tall round door behind, er, Hatter.  
"My shoes..." I walked past him and slipped my feet quickly into the shoes and then turned briskly to face him again.  
"Why were they off?" I demanded. He jumped back, placing his hands, palms toward me, in a defensive manner.  
"Woah tiger!" he mocked. I huffed and stood my ground, crossing my arms, expecting an answer from him. He scratched the back of his neck and blew out a quick sigh, then peered up at me through his eyelashes.  
"You fell asleep. Or, well I guess you kind of passed out. So, I thought I'd let you rest here at my place until you came to," so it is his place. He shrugged and then let his hands fall to his sides.  
"I just figured I'd take your shoes off since they were basically covered in dirt," I raised an eyebrow at him, and then looked him up and down.

"Where did you find me?" this was the more important question, no matter how awkward I felt about the fact that he took my shoes off and put me to bed. Or, did I like that thought? I shook my head quickly, trying to maintain my stance. He grinned and then placed his hands casually behind his head, rocking back and forth on his heels.  
"I realize you have a list of questions, so how about we discuss them over a cup of tea?" Tea? I glanced around the room, for some reason finding it progressively difficult to maintain eye contact with him.  
"Come on now, I make the best tea in all of Wonderland!" he threw his arms into the air in excitement and then stepped closer to me. I flinched back and then nearly toppled over.  
"Wonderland?" I whispered. _Welcome to Wonderland. _His voice rang in my head, and I remembered the rolling hills, the crystal blue sky, and the grass so green... like a fairy tale.  
"Yes! You would in fact be in Wonderland. Which, again, I'm sure has the wheels turning like crazy in that little head of yours," he wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and turned us around to face the door, "so! Lets go have a chat about all of this!" he smiled down at me, and then lead me out of the room

It was amazing how large the hallway was compared to the small bedroom. The walls went straight up for probably twelve feet, and then curved in a dome shape to create the ceiling. The hallway looked as if it went on for miles on end, and I couldn't believe that this place was his home.  
"It's not that long of a walk," he reassured me, probably picking up on the tension rolling off my shoulders. I glanced quickly up at him to find him with a very content smile on his face. I couldn't help but smile too.

Strangely enough, the walk wasn't long at all. It seemed after walking for about five seconds we reached another door. I gasped, untangling myself from his arm to turn around. Again, the hallway stretched on for miles, the bedroom door completely out of sight! I began to feel suddenly dizzy, possibly overwhelmed by the past few minutes. Waking up in a Mad Hatter's bedroom, my shoes off, and then walking down a mile long hallway in a matter of seconds!  
"Woah!" I felt his hands grip my hips, and I realized it was because I was beginning to fall over. But I came to more quickly this time, not completely passing out.  
"Excuse me!" I said abruptly, grabbing his hans and prying them off of me. He jumped back and put his hands up in surrender.  
"My apologies," he smiled, but I watched as his eyes left mine and scanned me up and down quite obviously. I inhaled sharply and turned away from him, deciding I would find a way out of here myself, wherever I was exactly...

I stomped toward the door and turned the large golden knob but it began to move underneath my hand. I shrieked and jumped nearly a foot in the air. I heard Hatter begin to chuckle but when I looked at him he quickly regained a more serious expression, but I saw the giggles trying to burst out.  
"Excuse me miss!" I looked around frantically, trying to figure out where the voice had come from.  
"Alice, this is the Doorknob!" Hatter said, motioning to the doorknob. I raised an eyebrow, wondering if the Hatter was in fact out of his mind. But all of a sudden the doorknob's eyes blinked and his mouth, which was where a key would be placed to open the door, opened. The knob which I had grabbed turned out to apparently be the nose.  
"I beg your pardon," I whispered, still slightly in shock. The Doorknob cleared its throat and then looked me directly in the eyes.  
"Quite alright," he assured me, moving his nose around a couple of times. I glanced at Hatter who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.  
"Um, well, Doorknob... would it be alright if I got through?" I asked, taking a step closer.  
"It would be alright, but do you have the key?" he asked. Hatter snorted a chuckle and was suddenly standing on the other side of me. I looked over at him, his hands now stuffed into his pants pockets.  
"Do you have the key?" I asked. He shrugged his shoulders and pursed his lips.  
"Maybe," I tried to keep my temper from flaring over at him since I knew I would never get the key that way. That's when I figured out that I had to change my tactic.

I felt my heart flutter in my chest as I walked closer to Hatter, so we were now standing toe to toe. I looked up into his dark mischievous eyes and smiled.  
"May I borrow the key?" I whispered, our faces a breath apart. His calm expression was quickly melting away and his lip twitched, his mouth slightly opening. But he didn't move, and he didn't speak, and I was beginning to feel increasingly uncomfortable. I had never stood this close to a man before, I had never acted this way toward a man before.  
"Alice," he suddenly said, very softly. Our eyes locked and I could hear my pulse thrumming in my ears.  
"You're standing on my foot," he finished. I felt my face ignite and I looked down, realizing I was in fact standing on his toe. I leapt back, nearly falling against the wall. Hatter chuckled and then reached into his left breast pocket and pulled out a large gold key. I eyed it for a moment and then glanced at the Doorknob.  
"Before I let you borrow this, I was wondering where you planned to go?" he tilted his head slightly to the side, a smug expression plastered on his face. I wanted to slap him... but at the same time, I wanted to kiss him. I shook my head and cleared my throat.  
"Home," the word slipped from my lips but instantaneously I wanted to take it back. Home? I didn't want to go home. The whole point of sneaking out of my room and escaping the party was to get away from everything, to find something... as the thoughts ran through my head I noticed Hatter's expression soften ever so slightly and his lips moved, getting ready to speak. I wanted to find something extraordinary.  
"Wait! I didn't mean that," I blurted out before he could get his word in.  
"Hm," he looked as though he was concentrating very hard on something, "does that mean you'd like to have a cup of tea then?" one corner of his mouth pulled up into a half smile and my heart fluttered again. I looked down the hall again, toward where the bedroom was, and the down at the Doorknob, who appeared to be sleeping. What else could I do? I sighed and looked back up at Hatter.  
"I suppose it does," he clapped his hands together and then stuck the key into the lock. The Doorknob opened its eyes and gave him a dirty look, but Hatter didn't seem to notice.

The key clicked in the lock, and Hatter pulled it out, slipped it back into his pocket, turned the knob, and then pulled the door open. Sunlight streamed into the hallway and a warm breeze blew in.  
"After you, m'lady," Hatter, bowed slightly, looked up at me, and winked. And at this moment, I decided to go along with all of it. I was in Wonderland apparently, and if I was truly on the search for something extraordinary, this seemed like the best place to find it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks so much for the comments! After this chapter things will start to get more exciting, I promise!**

I was now standing in what appeared to be Hatter's backyard. The grass was the same outstanding shade of green I had seen when I first arrived in Wonderland. The odd thing was there was a large dining table in the middle of the yard, looking as if it was ready to provide a feast for a dozen people. The table itself was beautiful, looked as if it had been hand carved out of wood, and a tastefully decorated table cloth was draped over it. The china set out on the table was nothing short of breathtaking as well. If my mother saw this, she would be in heaven.

Hatter led me to the table and pulled out a large seat for me. It was a large arm chair, a deep purple, and it matched the other chair at the opposite head of the table.  
"Thank you," I said politely as I sat down. Hatter nodded and sat down on one of the wooden chairs beside mine. He reached across the table and picked up a beautiful white teapot and poured a light brown liquid into his small cup.  
"Tea?" he asked. I nodded, and he poured the same amount into mine.  
"Do you have any sugar?" I asked. He snorted as he took a sip from his cup, and then set it down on the small saucer that he held in his left hand.  
"You don't need any sugar," he smiled. I glanced down at the steaming liquid and shook my head.  
"I'm fairly certain I do. I always have sugar in my tea," I insisted. But he seemed to ignore the comment, taking another slow sip from his cup.

I contemplated not drinking it since he was refusing me sugar, but my throat was parched. I wrinkled my nose as I hesitantly lifted the small cup to my lips. But as the warm liquid spilled into my mouth and slipped down my throat, I realized I in fact did not need sugar. It was the sweetest, most delicious tea I had ever tasted! As I marveled at the sweet scent lifting from the cup I eagerly took another sip. When I placed the cup, empty onto the table, I realized he had been watching me, a smug smile on his face. I cleared my throat and smoothed my dress, sitting up straight.  
"I own the best selling tea shop in all of Wonderland," he said proudly, placing his own cup and saucer onto the table as well. I simply nodded, my pride getting in the way of complimenting him on the amazing quality of the drink.

We sat there in silence for what seemed like forever, but I kept telling myself it was only a matter of seconds. Hatter was the one to break the silence.  
"What happened to your questions?" he asked, I nodded and looked up at him. He was resting his elbow on the table, his hand supporting the side of his head. He seemed to be a very relaxed person, the complete opposite of me. I cleared my throat, and delicately folded my hands on top of each other on the edge of the table.  
All of the questions had seemingly left my brain. I couldn't recall a single one.  
"Um, well," I struggled trying to string a thought together as he waited patiently.  
"So, um, this is your house, correct?" it certainly was not the question that had been at the top of my list, but at this point I was just trying to get any kind of coherent thought out there.  
"It is my house, and also the tea shop. You haven't gotten the privilege to see the wonderful shop yet, but you have gotten to see the bedroom, the hallway, and the backyard," he spoke so smoothly, so confidently, it drove me mad! Why did I feel so antsy? I couldn't think straight and I was nervous I was going to come off as a complete fool to him. Not that I cared... did I? I fidgeted in my seat as I tried to come up with my next question.  
"I see. So, you live in a place called Wonderland. Um, where is that exactly?" this was not exactly how I had planned on asking this particular question, but as he repositioned himself in his seat, I figured he got the gist.  
"We are in fact currently in Wonderland. Wonderland, is a world of its own, completely separate from where you come from," he lifted his leg and rested his ankle on his thigh, so he was sitting cross legged. And he now leaned back in his seat, placing his hands lazily behind his head.

A whole other world? I nodded to try and make it seem as though I was not affected by this news, but on the inside I was squirming with anxiety.  
"How did I get here?" I asked. He puckered his lips and made a popping noise and then smiled.  
"Fell down the rabbit hole, and through the looking glass," he said, quite matter-of-factly. The rabbit hole. I remembered the white rabbit, dressed in the purple vest, and now it didn't seem odd at all that he had been talking.  
"Looking glass?" I didn't recall falling through glass of any sort during my travel down the hole/chimney. He nodded his head and then sat up to reach for the teapot again.  
"The looking glass is what connects our world to yours. But, what I find fascinating, is why you're here," he poured more tea into my cup, and then into his, "seeing as travel between the worlds is strictly prohibited by the Queen," he set the teapot back down, picked up his cup and saucer, and laid back against the chair.  
"You have a Queen?" his lips molded around the edge of the cup, and he tilted it ever so slightly up. I watched as his Adam's apple bobbed in his throat, and I am ashamed to admit that my mouth was hanging open. I blinked a few dozen times and then refocused my attention to my now full cup of tea.  
"Yes, the Queen of Hearts. She's the one who runs all of Wonderland," I took a slow sip of tea and then a deep breath.

This certainly was a lot of information to be taking in all at once, and I wasn't even sure what to do with all of it. As I tried to come up with some kind of decision, I heard a bell ring. Hatter's expression appeared puzzled, but then his eyebrows raised and he nodded his head knowingly.  
"I hope you don't mind if we have a guest join us," he said, standing from his seat, but still holding his cup and saucer.  
"Oh no of course not, but, Hatter," I pushed my chair back from the table so I could stand as well. He took a step toward me and looked down at me with patient eyes. I felt my knees begin to buckle, and I planted my hand on the table for support.  
"If people aren't supposed to travel between worlds, wouldn't that mean I could be in trouble with the Queen?" I asked quietly, wondering how close this new visitor was.  
"Of course," he said. My eyes bulged and I had to mentally remind myself to breathe.  
"Oh don't worry, nothing is going to happen! The Queen is far too busy to be worrying about a girl running around Wonderland," I had a feeling this was meant to in some way comfort me, but it did not.  
"Well, even if that's so, shouldn't the fact that I am here be kept a secret?" I realized as I spoke my voice was getting progressively closer to a whisper, leading to Hatter leaning in closer to my face until we were again only a breath apart.  
I swallowed hard as he stared into my eyes for a moment, not saying anything.  
"You're safe with me, Alice," he finally said. He said it very seriously, and it was probably the most serious thing I had heard him say since we met. But his smile and casual posture returned as he backed away and then walked toward a white gate.

I stood there, contemplating if I truly could trust that I would be safe with him. After all, he did call himself the _Mad_ Hatter, and I figured there had to be a reason why the Mad was apart of that name. As I stood there pondering this, I heard footsteps approach, and when I looked up I saw Hatter, and beside him, what at first appeared to be a man. But as they got closer, I realized the man had a pair of brown rabbit ears growing out of the top of his head! His eyebrows were on the fuzzier side, and as his lips pulled apart into a smile, his two front teeth poked out. He wore a brown and beige checkered suit, complete with a white handkerchief poking out of the breast pocket.  
"Alice, this is March Hare," Hatter introduced him as they stopped about a foot from me.  
"Pleased to meet you," I extended my hand and he politely shook it.  
"Nice to meet you as well. Hatter tells me you're here on a short visit," his voice sounded rather nasally, and his nose wiggled at the end of the sentence.  
A short visit? I glanced at Hatter who was sitting back down in his chair.  
"Um, yes," I sat back down as well, and March Hare walked around the back of my chair to sit next to me, across the table from Hatter.  
"How long do you plan to stay?" he asked, pouring himself a cup. I couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable since I had never perfected the art of small talk or meeting new people. I always ended up giving short answers, and my words always got jumbled.  
"I'm not quite sure," I said quickly. He nodded and downed his first cup of tea and then smacked his lips, a puzzled look on his face.  
"Hatter, is this new?" Hatter folded his hands on the table and then leaned in to speak.  
"Yes, I just finished perfecting it yesterday, how is it?" he looked excited, as if he was very eager to hear March Hare's response.  
"Delicious. Although," he eyed the teapot warily and then looked up at Hatter who was now frowning, "I don't believe it has that same... wow factor as last month's special," he concluded. Hatter let out a heavy sigh and fell back against the chair.  
"I think it's delightful," I added, taking a sip from my own cup. Hatter smiled, and sat back up, resting his left arm on the arm rest so he could lean in closer to me.  
"You haven't tasted last month's though. I must give you a tour of the shop," he said excitedly.

I didn't know he meant at this very moment he wanted to give me a tour, but he was suddenly standing, as was the March Hare. I quickly finished off the last few drops of tea and then pushed my chair away from the table.

We walked back toward the door which we had come out from and Hatter held it open as both the March Hare and I entered. Once back inside the strange hallway, Hatter walked in front of us to lead the way.  
"You know, I ran into Dodo on my way over here," March Hare said, walking faster to be beside Hatter.  
"Oh did you?" Hatter's posture immediately stiffened and he kept his eyes focused straight ahead.  
"He mentioned something about the Queen," March Hare eyed Hatter, "relating to your tea," he waited again, but Hatter's expression remained unchanging. March Hare nudged his arm, and Hatter flashed him a dirty look.  
"We can discuss this later," he said, and suddenly I saw that we were approaching another door.  
"Alice! Here we are," Hatter said happily, turning around and motioning for me to enter the room.

This room was very bright, windows on every wall, allowing the rays of sunlight to stream in. The floor was black and white checkered, and the walls were purple, apparently a favorite color of his. There were shelves all over the walls, covered with tea pots, cups, saucers, dishes, and various other items I suppose would belong at a tea party. There were tables scattered throughout the medium sized room, with loads of different colored boxes which I guessed were filled with tea. The shop was beautifully decorated, and Hatter now led me to a large counter, which is where I guessed he conducted business when selling the tea. I stood in front of it as he went behind and kneeled down. There were a few small crashing noises and it sounded as though some things dropped to the floor, but within a few more seconds, he reappeared, a cup in hand.  
"Try this," he grinned. I took the small white cup from his hands and held it up to my nose. Steam rose from the liquid and the aroma was breathtaking! It smelled like a mixture of chocolate and raspberries, and another scent I couldn't exactly place.  
Hatter watched me, anticipation radiating from him as he placed his weight from one foot to the other. I pressed my lips to the cup, tipped it back, and let the warm liquid slide down my throat. I pulled the cup away, closed my mouth, and allowed my taste buds to adjust. It was remarkable! The taste was indescribable and something completely different than anything I had ever experienced before!  
"Oh Hatter, it's amazing!" I took another quick sip and his face instantly lit up. March Hare crossed his arms, and gazed out the window with a bored expression on his face.  
"There's so many other flavors I'm sure you'd love!" Hatter enthused, rushing around the shop, gathering boxes in his arms. I giggled as he tripped over his own feet, having to take a few quick mini steps to regain his balance.

"Hatter," March Hare said suddenly. We both looked over at him, seeing that he was not enjoying himself quite as much as we were. I placed my cup onto the counter and clasped my hands in front of me as Hatter stumbled behind the counter, allowing the boxes to fall from his arms onto the floor.  
"Yes?" he crossed his arms and looked at March Hare expectingly.  
"I came here for the tea party, not a tour of your shop," he said dryly. I wondered why he was acting so rudely toward Hatter. I also wished that Hatter would throw him out, I much preferred the interaction between us before the extra company. Even though we hadn't even interacted that much, I still preferred it to this.  
Hatter walked over to March Hare and placed his arm around his shoulders.  
"You're right, very much so good friend," March Hare looked very smug as Hatter seemed to puff up his ego, "but, Alice is my guest, and I promised to show her around Wonderland today, so," he trailed off, and March Hare's expression quickly changed from smugness to irritation.  
"So, am I supposed to go off and leave?" March Hare lowered his voice to a low hushed tone, but due to the frustration in it, I could still hear every word.  
"You barely know this Alice, why would you..." he mumbled something incoherent, and I realized I was leaning in closer to try and decipher what was being said, so I took a step back, giving them the privacy they were obviously looking for, seeing as they had walked away from me in first place.

I was beginning to feel uncomfortable standing over here while the two of them conversed. It was becoming apparent that March Hare was not very interested in me, and would be much happier if I allowed them to get back to their silly tea party. So, I walked over to the two of them, the March Hare's mouth half opened, prepared to speak, but I cut him off.  
"I'll go," I said calmly. Hatter raised an eyebrow at me, and unwound his arm from around March Hare.  
"What are you talking about?" he asked.  
"It's not your obligation to show me around Wonderland, and I see you two standing there speaking with each other, I'm not blind," I tried to stand my ground, tried to maintain composure.

Nonetheless, I couldn't help but feel like March Hare should leave, and not I. I wanted Hatter to pick him up by the ears and toss him out the door. But, instead, I curtsied before them and said, "it was lovely to have met you. And thank you for your hospitality Hatter, and for the tea," he eyed me suspiciously and then sighed.  
"It was lovely to have met you as well, Alice," I cleared my throat and nodded, trying to create a plan in my head of where to go, but Hatter began nodding in the direction of the door which we had come through.  
"But I do believe you left your gloves at the table," he said. I looked at him, quite confused, and March Hare seemed to be oblivious to the motions Hatter was making with his head. He was nodding toward the door, winking his eye, and doing odd things with his lips.  
"Um... my gloves," I said it as more of a question, trying to figure out what was going on.  
"Yes, go grab them," March Hare finally looked at Hatter, who stopped the odd movements immediately so he didn't catch on.

I decided to go along with this glove charade, so I exited through the door from where we came. I walked back down the purple hallway, past the bedroom, and ended up back at the Doorknob. I twisted its nose and its eyes flew open. I instinctively jumped back and placed my hand over my heart.  
"The key, madame?" it sounded as though it was trying to be polite, but was more so agitated. I too wanted to be polite, but was on the verge of total frustration from March Hare and Hatter's antics. This was all I needed to push me over the edge.  
"I don't have the key," I complained, dropping my hands dramatically to my sides.  
"Well, then I'm afraid you can't get through," it yawned and closed its eyes. I stomped my feet and grabbed its nose with both of my hands and began to pull.  
"Madame!" it exclaimed. I grunted as I twisted with all of my strength and yanked as hard as I could.  
"I need to get through!" I shrieked. Suddenly I felt two hands on my shoulders, and I let go of the Doorknob, falling against someone's chest.  
"Is something the matter?" it was Hatter. I exhaled as he helped me stand up straight, and I quickly smoothed my hair and dress, trying to pretend my meltdown had not happened.  
"I can't get through," I said simply. Hatter chuckled, pulling the familiar golden key from his pocket and sticking it into the lock. The Doorknob rolled its eyes and then closed them as Hatter pulled the door open.

We walked on the lush green grass and Hatter abruptly sat down. I stopped a few feet away from him, wondering what was going on.  
"Why did you send me out here?" I demanded. He laid back on the grass, placing his hands behind his head as a cushion. I groaned and walked closer to him, so I could look down directly at his face.  
"Are you listening to me?" I placed my hands on my hips and he smiled up at me.  
"Where did you plan to go?" he asked. I took a step back and then looked up at the sky. White puffy clouds floated lazily along and I wished I could be like them. Not a care in the world.  
"Hm?" Hatter persisted. I decided to give in and I sat beside him on the grass, carefully arranging my dress around my legs.  
"I'm not sure," I said, not making eye contact with him. He sat up placing his hands behind him, and leaning on them for support.  
"Then why did you suddenly decide to leave?"  
"I felt as if I was intruding. March Hare didn't seem too fond of me," I sighed.  
"Pay no attention to him. He's an interesting character," he chuckled. Character was right. All I could picture were those buck teeth, fuzzy eyebrows, long ears, and that wiggling nose.  
"I hope you didn't make him leave because of me," I said.  
"Whys that?" he asked. I felt my cheeks blush and I looked down at my hands which were folded in my lap.  
"Like I said, I don't want to intrude," Hatter sat up straight and moved closer to me, leaning in slightly.  
"No worries," he said casually. I eyed him suspiciously and he pretended to be looking elsewhere, whistling an unknown tune.

We sat there for a while. This time I knew minutes were ticking by as he continued to whistle, and we both gazed up at the sky. I felt very content though, the frustration I had been feeling now beginning to melt away. Maybe this was just what I was looking for.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks so much for the comments! I actually started writing this Hatter with the new Syfy Alice character in mind. Hatter is played by Andrew Lee Potts in the miniseries, and I just adored him! But I am also a HUGE Johnny fan, so I can totally see him in my story, minus the crazy hair, eyebrows, and makeup. =P**

As we sat there, I couldn't deny the fact that something felt right. It had been so long since anything in my life had felt this way. But, I couldn't quite place exactly what it was that felt right.  
I looked over at Hatter who had stopped whistling and was now closing his eyes sleepily. I wondered if we were going to sit here all day, watching the clouds go by, but suddenly he stood, and brushed his pants off. I watched him as he walked over to the table and poured a cup of tea.  
"That must be cold by now," I said, slightly cringing. I was very particular with what I ate and drank, and what temperature it was at. For example, tea should be served hot and steaming, not cold or room temperature. Hatter poured a second cup and then picked both of them up and walked over to me.  
"No thank you," I said as he handed it to me. He wrinkled his forehead in confusion.  
"I thought you liked my tea," he frowned.  
"I do, just not cold," I said lightly. He pushed the cup into my hands, and I was surprised that it was warm.  
"I promise I won't disappoint," he winked. As I took a small sip he sat down beside me again. He was right, the tea was just the right temperature, the same as it had been when we had first come out here.  
"Well?" he probed. I nodded, taking another sip. He smiled triumphantly and set to work on his own cup.

We sat for a few minutes, savoring the tea to the last drop. I sighed, looking down into the empty cup, not being able to help thinking about what would happen when I returned home. I wondered if they had sent out a search party for me, or if my mother had decided to pretend I had caught a cold, to avoid being embarrassed in front of her friends.  
"Alice?" Hatter's voice shook me from my thoughts. Our eyes locked and I nearly dropped my cup into my lap. His eyes were soft, but hard at the same time, and it caused my heart to leap into my throat.  
"Is something wrong?" he asked. I cleared my throat, trying to calm my racing heart and nearly trembling hands.  
"Oh no, every thing is fine," I smiled as genuinely as possible, and then set my cup onto the grass.  
"I don't believe it," he said. I looked up at him, he had a serious look on his face, and his forehead was wrinkled in concentration.  
"Don't believe what?" I asked. He stared right at me and seemed to be searching for what to say next.  
"Do you have any more questions?" he said suddenly. I felt confused, like this was something out of the blue. He wasn't making sense to me, and the way he was watching me was making my skin crawl.  
"Um, none immediately jump to mind right now, but there is more I'd like to know," I knew there were more questions that needed answering, but again, the way he was looking at me was making logical thinking very difficult.  
"Would you mind if I asked you some questions then?" his expression began to soften, and he didn't look as serious anymore.  
"Um, I guess so," I didn't know what he wanted to ask me, or what sparked this interest, but I figured it was the least I could do.

Hatter stood and extended his hand to help me up. I took it, and marveled at the touch of his skin as his hand closed around mine. We walked back to the table and took our original seats, now without the March Hare's company. Hatter crossed his leg over his thigh and rested his arms on the arm rests. I tried to get comfortable in my chair but was too busy thinking about what he wanted to ask me.  
"Why did you come to Wonderland?" he asked.  
"I didn't mean to, it was an accident,"  
"An accident?" he raised an eyebrow. I started to answer, but then remembered crawling into a rabbit hole and falling through the earth. That for sure would make him think I'm crazy. Although, it seemed like everything here was a bit off kilter, maybe it wasn't weird. He eyed me expectingly, and I took a deep breath.  
"My mother and father were throwing a party... a party I wanted nothing to do with, so I snuck off..."  
"Why?" he cut me off. I hated when people did that. It made my train of thought get all messed up.  
"Can I finish?" he pretended to lock his lips and throw the key away, so I decided it was safe to continue for now.  
"So, I snuck off, just to try and get away for a while. But I saw a white rabbit, and he was wearing a vest, and he was speaking! I followed him to a rabbit hole, and out of curiosity, followed him in," I watched Hatter's expression carefully, waiting for the slightest change. But it didn't, his face remained completely neutral, which in a way was comforting, but was also slightly nerve wracking. What was he thinking?

I wondered if I should add more, or continue. But all that happened after that was falling down the hole, and then landing in his arms. Or, I assumed his arms.  
"Were you the one who caught me?" I decided to ask. His face remained unmoving, making me fidget nervously in my chair, but he finally blinked and then cleared his throat.  
"A white rabbit you say?" his voice was slightly shaky.  
"Yes," I clarified.  
"Wearing a vest?" he persisted. I began to feel progressively more uncomfortable as his eyes got intense.  
"Um, yes,"  
"Was there a symbol on it?" he leaned forward in his chair, and I felt completely on the spot.  
"I-I I'm not sure, I didn't get that good of a look. Why does this all matter?" he totally ignored my question and it frustrated me to no end. But before I could ask him again, he stood and began looking frantically around the yard. Anxiety was obviously rolling off his shoulders, and it made me feel incredibly tense.  
"Hatter, what is going on?" I asked, standing as well. He looked at me with shifty eyes and then got very close.  
"The White Rabbit works for the Queen," he whispered. My heart dropped in my chest and I felt suddenly unstable.  
"What exactly does that mean?"  
"I'm not sure, did you speak to him?" he spoke in a hushed tone, and his eyes were wide. I tried to search my head for an answer, but I was so nervous I couldn't remember.  
"I'm not sure... he saw me though," Hatter groaned and then seemed to be attempting to regain some composure.  
"Hatter, what is going on?" I asked firmly. He sighed and removed his hat with his left hand and ran his right hand through his mess of hair.  
"I'm not sure yet. Remember how I told you that travel between the worlds is prohibited by the Queen? Well, the White Rabbit is the only one allowed to do so, he's sort of the Queen's personal messenger," he explained. I still didn't fully understand exactly what this meant in connection with me, but by the way he was moving and his eyes were darting, I figured it wasn't good news.

I was beginning to feel progressively less stable standing here as thoughts raced through my mind. Suddenly, there was a knocking sound, and Hatter spun around to face the door.  
"Alice, we need to leave," he may have tried to say this calmly, but there was a hard undertone to his voice that gave me the urge to shriek in fear. Thankfully I was able to contain it. Hatter walked quickly over to me and grabbed my arm, but I yanked away and shot him a questioning look.  
"Hatter, what is going on?" I shouted. He groaned and threw his head back and then more gently grabbed my hand.  
"I'll explain it all once we're out of here,"  
"But this is your house! Why are we leaving?" I didn't want to follow him, I wanted answers now. But he was strong, and walking very fast, so unless I wanted to be dragged across the ground I knew I had to move my feet.

We ran through the white gate where the March Hare had entered, and I realized that there was a dirt road on the other side of Hatter's yard. He began to move faster as the gate slammed closed behind us, and we sprinted down the winding road. Running again. This was a flashback of earlier today when I was escaping the party. Hatter's hand tightened around mine and he glanced at me quickly over his shoulder. I wanted to stop, I wanted to know what was going on, but I figured even if I managed to escape his grasp he wouldn't tell me.

As I continued to plot different ways of escaping and possibilities for why Hatter was dragging me off, we suddenly veered off the road into a wooded area. I nearly toppled over as the ground became uneven, and I was sure I was going to pass out from exhaustion at any second. Hatter slowed to a fast walk and I planned to take this moment to ask him my questions, but I quickly realized that was not going to happen due to lack of air in my lungs. Instead, I continued to follow him, his hand wrapped tightly around my wrist was the only thing that kept me going, otherwise I for sure would be passed out against a tree.

Minutes quickly began to tick by and we still didn't stop. There were a few dozen times I planned to begin the inquisition, but did not. Instead I decided I could wait until we got to wherever it was he planned to get to.

We must have walked for over ten minutes until Hatter stopped. I immediately wriggled my hand from his grasp and looked around. We were deep in some kind of forest, not an ordinary forest though because there were spiraling trees, most not the typical shade of brown. Some of the trees were red, some dark blues, and others deep shades of green. Their leaves were also different assorted colors, but there were ordinary trees scattered throughout as well. This did not surprise me as much as I expected it to, maybe because I was beginning to grow used to the fact that nothing here was ordinary. When I glanced down at the ground I realized there was no longer the lush green grass like in Hatter's lawn, but now mostly dirt with small patches of grass dispersed over the forest floor.

Hatter looked around for a moment as well and as soon as he turned to face me, I lifted my hand, wound it back, and slapped him across the face. His head completely turned to the side and his eyes squeezed shut. I had not exactly planned to do this, but the way he grabbed me and refused me answers was uncalled for and completely rude. Hatter stared at me in shock, tenderly rubbing his cheek.  
"What the hell," he sounded completely dumbfounded, as if he had no idea why I had done this.  
"What was that for?" he exclaimed.  
"For kidnapping me!" I retorted. His eyes bulged and he laughed out loud.  
"Kidnapping you? I did no such thing!" he wiggled his jaw back and forth, continuing to nurse his now red cheek.  
"Shall I give you a definition of kidnapping?" I placed my hands on my hips and stepped closer to him.  
"Grabbing someone and dragging them down a road and into a secluded forest!" I shouted. He began to say something but then stopped and looked thoughtful for a moment.  
"Listen, Alice, trust me, I did this for your own safety," although he sounded genuine, I couldn't believe him. I huffed and began to walk away, but I heard his footsteps right behind me.

This whole thing was crazy. Falling into some strange man's arms, finding out he's mad, having tea with him after waking up in his bed, and now, allowing him to drag me off into the woods! I began mumbling to myself as I walked on, and I heard Hatter muttering to himself as well.  
"Alice, will you just listen to me?" he sounded calmer now as he spoke, the urgent undertone from before gone. I sighed and stopped, deciding to listen, but refusing to look at him.  
"The White Rabbit you saw, he works for the Queen, and if he saw you, that means he told her that you're here. The Queen knows that you're in Wonderland," he explained. I forced myself to look up at him, realizing he was staring right at me. Our eyes locked and I tried to maintain my footing.  
"What does that mean then?" was my life in danger? Was she sending out an assassin to kill me?  
"I don't know exactly, but I do know that we need to keep you out of her sight," I thought about this for a moment, and decided it sounded logical. But then I thought some more.  
"How do you know who was at the door? It could have been March Hare again," I said suspiciously. His forehead wrinkled and he stepped back, looking away.  
"You don't trust me," he said, sounding quite upset. How could I possibly trust someone I had just met?

I sighed, looking him up and down. What were my options? Wander off into these mysterious woods with the possibility of being lost in Wonderland forever? Hatter was my best bet at this point it seemed.  
"Well, what is the plan then?" I sucked up my pride and walked closer to him, deciding that arguing was getting us nowhere.  
"As of right now, there isn't a concrete plan," he said slowly, but his expression quickly changed as mine went from compliance to doubt.  
"Now, before you say anything, just hear me out, okay?" I sighed, crossing my arms.  
"I know Wonderland, okay? You don't need to be afraid about getting lost. I also have connections, so I can get us somewhere by tonight that will be safe," he spoke calmly, and I finally felt my nerves begin to settle. As I started to speak, he lifted his index finger in front of my face.  
"But... Alice," he looked me directly in the eyes, "you're going to have to trust me," he said. Again with the trust thing! I stared him down for a moment and again came to the conclusion that he was the only person here I could come close to trusting at the moment.  
"Fine," I said simply. He exhaled and nodded contently.

Hatter explained we were headed to a friend's house, somewhere he knew we would be welcomed. So, I followed him through the thick woods, trying desperately to keep my balance and keep up with him. I am no girly girl, but I also do not enjoy long hikes through the woods in dress shoes. I tried to keep my complaining to a dull roar though, not wanting to spark a new feud with Hatter. We seemed quite content to travel in silence. He would every now and then attempt to strike up a conversation, but my mind was so distracted with this and that it would quickly come to an end.

Even though I was feeling all of this hesitation toward Hatter, I also could not deny the... chemistry. I had never felt chemistry with a man before, and it was oddly exciting. It reminded me of how my mother was constantly trying to set me up with different suitors, and how today I'm sure she was quite disappointed that I had gone missing, ruining her chance of trying to marry me off to some snooty, awkward man. I couldn't help but feel slightly guilty and selfish though. Running off was sure to give my parents a fright, and would probably ruin the entire party. Yet, the guilt obviously was not enough to make me want to return. All of the years I had complied with their rules and regulations had built up, and were now flowing over. I had tasted freedom, and I wasn't sure how to give it up.

Hatter stopped suddenly and looked at me.  
"We can rest here for a bit," he said. I realized we were standing before a little creek. The water was crystal clear, and the sound of the flowing water was very relaxing. I nodded at him and walked over to the water, kneeling down before it. The sun was now streaming down on us, and I looked up at the blue sky. A small breeze blew through my hair, and as I dipped my hands into the water, I couldn't help but feel completely refreshed. I brought my wet hands up to my cheeks and gently rubbed the water over my face.

As I stood, I couldn't help but notice Hatter. I took a few steps back and sat down at the base of a thick tree, leaning against it for support. Hatter was kneeling beside the water, and I watched as he removed his jacket. My stomach instantly filled with butterflies and I felt my cheeks begin to burn. Next he removed his hat, and after throwing it up into the air and catching it without the slightest effort, he placed it on top of his jacket. He then dipped his hands into the rushing water, lifted them up to his head, and ran his fingers through his hair. I bit my lip and tried to pry my eyes away, wondering if it was inappropriate that I was enjoying this.

But I couldn't stop watching. My eyes were like magnets and he was the metal. He rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, exposing his forearms and then lowered his arms into the water, pulled them out, and splashed water onto his face. Was all of this happening in slow motion? It felt like it was. I cleared my throat, smoothing out wrinkles in my dress in the attempt to preoccupy myself. I tried thinking of things not relating to Hatter slathering water all over himself. So, I concentrated on the ground, I stared at the dirt and forced my mind to go elsewhere. And it actually began to work! I thought about whose house we were going to, and I hoped that it wasn't another person... or creature like the March Hare. I also began to wonder why exactly Hatter was so intent on helping me, especially since we had just met.

Distracting myself was going well, that is, until I noticed Hatter's shoes come into my view. He was standing a couple of inches away from me, and I looked at his shoes, and then slowly lifted my eyes up his legs, to his stomach, to his chest, and that's where my eyes decided to stop. His shirt was normally not buttoned all the way, leaving his neck and a tiny bit of chest revealed, but now, two other buttons were undone, and nearly his entire torso was exposed. I gasped out loud, involuntarily, and forced myself to look away.  
"Something the matter?" he asked curiously. Again, the urge to slap him arose, but this time, the urge to kiss him was greatly overwhelming it. I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment and then looked up at his face, which was a mistake. His hair was disheveled and damp, and drops of water ran down his face to his neck. I had to bite my tongue to keep from saying anything or opening my mouth to drool.

This was insanity. Why in the world would I allow this man to have such power over me. I quickly got to up to my feet and brushed the dirt off of my dress. When I glanced at Hatter from underneath my eyelashes, I saw that familiar smug smile on his face. He knew he was getting to me! This drove me even more mad.  
"Are you ready to go?" I asked impatiently.  
"So soon?" he sounded disappointed. I scowled at him and crossed my arms, making sure to keep at least a foot of distance between us. But he was quick to close the gap, and his presence made my skin crawl.  
"There's nothing wrong with taking a little break," he said softly. I refused to look at him, knowing if I did he would see the weakness in my eyes.  
"I know, but I just feel we should keep moving so we make it before dark," seemed perfectly logical, right? I knew by now it had to be past noon, probably approaching the early evening. And with the little light allowed in the forest by the thick trees, when night arrived seeing would become nearly impossible.

Hatter did not seem to agree with my thinking though. He chuckled to himself, stepping closer to me and I felt my entire body tense. Why was I acting like this? I scolded myself over and over, trying to force myself to relax and maintain composure.  
"Alice, I know where we're going, we'll make it there before dark. So, why don't you just," his voice trailed off and I suddenly felt his breath on my neck, "relax," he whispered. My heart began to race and when I turned to look at him, I inhaled sharply, realizing exactly how close our faces were.

That was it. I drew the line here. Okay Mr. Mad Hater, you have crossed the line! I again, wound my hand back, and flung it forward toward his face, but his hand caught my wrist! I gasped in shock as he gripped my wrist and smirked at me.  
"You bastard," I nearly growled. His eyebrows lifted in shock and he started to laugh. This only added fuel to the fire. Where did he get off coming onto me like this? The worst part about this situation was my mind was having a battle with itself. One side wanted him to kiss me, the other wanted to shove him into the water and let him drown. Two polar opposites fighting for superiority. And here I was, trapped in the middle, staring down a very amused Hatter.

"Did you just call me a bastard?" he laughed. I rolled my eyes, attempting to free my hand, but to no avail.  
"You know, this is considered abuse," I said, quite frustrated. He suddenly stopped laughing, but when I looked at his dark eyes, there was mischief brewing behind them.  
"Abuse? How can I be abusing you when you like it?" he sounded genuinely curious, and I felt my face light on fire.  
"I do not! Let me go!" but as we began this odd tug of war over my arm, I started to giggle. Yes, giggle. Hatter was laughing and I was now breaking into a fit of laughter as well. But my shouts for freedom did not stop. I attempted to whack him over the head, jab in the stomach, or kick him where the sun don't shine; all of this resulting in more fits of laughter.

But as this odd display continued, I heard the distinct sound of approaching hoofbeats. Hatter apparently did as well because he instantly released my arm and froze, listening for the sound. The hoofbeats got louder and louder, and closer too, since now when I glanced at the forest, I could make out a shadow.  
"Hatter," my voice shook and he immediately rushed to stand in front of me as a towering figure emerged from the trees.


End file.
